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Government pushed to tackle Scotland's "deadliest" road

By: Deborah Bates
21 January 2011

The Scottish government is being urged to tackle what has been named Scotland's "deadliest" road - the A9.

Those that drive the route regularly, perhaps when working for a logistics consultancy, are probably aware of the black spots; however as the death toll continues to rise for the road, Scottish residents are campaigning for the road to be overhauled, STV reports.

"It is unsurprising that motorists have delivered such a damning verdict," MSP John Swinney claimed, adding: "Not only does the A9 have the disgraceful accolade of being Scotland's most dangerous road, it has now also been classified as one of the most unpopular in the country."

He told Safe Drive Stay Alive Scotland that: "Even the AA recognises that those travelling from Perth to Inverness face a challenging journey and describe the road as 'old-fashioned' and 'twisty'. How many more times does the A9 have to be condemned in survey after survey before action is taken? We do not want to see any further loss of life."

"Until serious money is put into improving the A9 there is little hope of drivers finding anything good to say about road infrastructure of the area."

It was hoped that a Government debate, scheduled to take place yesterday, would shed some light over the government's plans (if they have any) to redevelop the treacherous road; however no statement has yet been made. With one death on the A9 already recorded in 2011, it seems crucial that something is done to improve the route, with a representative for the AA, Neil Greig, claiming: "The A9 is rapidly falling behind the standard today's drivers should expect."